Discussion Questions for Gathering At God's Table

Now Featured at the Patheos Book Club
Gathering at God's Table
The Meaning of Mission in the Feast of Faith
By Katharine Jefferts Schori

 

Making Your Mark
Discussion Questions

PART I
The First Mark of Mission
To Proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom

Fear Not

1. What are you most afraid of right now? A loved one's illness, your job or lack of one, or what the country or your parish church is going to look like next year or ten years from now?

 

Proclaiming the Good News Relentlessly

1. Where and how is your faith challenged? What ways of faithful living have brought amazing possibilities to our lives? How have these possibilities allowed you to proclaim the gospel to others?

 

Seeing the Face of Jesus

1. What about your own desires? Do you have as urgent a hunger as those Greek tourists that fateful Passover week in Jerusalem? Where have you gone looking for—or discovered—Jesus recently?

 

From the Upper Room to the Ends of the Earth

1. Where is your upper room? How does it nourish you for the mission of proclaiming the gospel?

 

Archaeology of Hope

1. In what ways have you engaged in the creative art of sharing the hope planted in the gospel of Jesus?

 

Blessing and Hope

1. What are you most grateful for? What unwelcome surprises have become blessings?

 

Leaving Home

1. Where and how are you answering that call to "go, leave your family, home, and nation?"

 

Tweeting the Gospel

1. Who's tweeting the gospel in your life, in your parish, in your community? Who's rapping the good news of Jesus? What new form or language will you use to tell the good news of a God who loves us enough to enter the world in human flesh?

 

One Spirit, Many Gifts

1. What is your part in preparing the banquet?

 

The Meaning of Martyrdom

1. What sort of martyrdom are you being invited into?

 

Looking for Life

1. Where have you seen newness in your life recently? Did you reconnect with an old friend? Hear from your children? Meet a new friend, or learn something new?

 

Living Abundantly

1. What do you find when you go out that door at the end of worship? Has your vision and understanding shifted enough that you can see rich and spreading pasture? Does your heart sense abundance rather than scarcity?

 

Nourished by the Word

1. How do you find nourishment in the company of others? How does this feed you for the work of proclaiming the good news of the reign of God?

 

PART II
The Second Mark of Mission
To Teach, Baptize, and Nurture New Believers

Jesus: Our GPS

1. What does your road look like? What does the Jesus road look like in the life of your community? Who is your companion on the Jesus road? How will you help to nurture others on that road?

 

Nurturing New Believers

1. Where have you helped mentor or nurture new leaders? How are you developing as a leader?

 

Learning to Be Light

1. Where are you becoming light to those around you? How might you help others be light?

 

Teaching and Learning the Presence of God

1. In what unexpected ways have you discovered God's presence in your life? Have you ever gathered with others to share some of those stories?